Indian Army's Light Machine Gun Tender Cancelled

India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has cancelled its three-year-old tender to procure 9,462 7.62 mm light machine guns (LMGs) for the Indian Army (IA).

The contract worth INR3 billion (USD46.8 million) was scrapped on 9 August 2017 after Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) emerged as the sole vendor with its Negev NG7 model, after winning over the LMG fielded by Bulgaria’s Arsenal in user trials between 2015 and early 2017, IHS Jane's reported Wednesday.

The editions of India’s Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) have been unclear about finalising contracts involving sole vendors. As a result, the MoD has opted to cancel such contracts to avoid allegations of wrongdoing.